


Fuck that shit if you think I’m going to give up on you because you said ‘no’ once. (Well, a few times).

by Amari



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M, and Joel says no, and acts like a complete moron, ray gets a little tipsy, warning for puke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-17
Updated: 2014-04-17
Packaged: 2018-01-19 17:36:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1478242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amari/pseuds/Amari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"No" was the word that mainly came out of Joel's mouth whenever Ray tried to woo him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fuck that shit if you think I’m going to give up on you because you said ‘no’ once. (Well, a few times).

“No.”

“C’mon, just once. Just give it a chance.”

“No.”

“Joel, c’mooon. Just like, just like… you know you want this.”

“No.”

“Joooooooel.”

Joel sighed and finally looked up from the all-consuming glow of his computer. When the voice of the one and only Ray Narvez Jr. had drifted into his office, he knew already what the young man had come to do.  It wasn’t the first time he had tried, and during that first time he promised he would make it happen. The determination Ray had to get Joel to go on a date with him was just as strong as Joel’s determination to not let that happen. Ray was hopping from foot to foot, anxiously waiting for Joel to say something. He looked like a toddler that needed to pee.

So, of course, Joel was going to use that to get him out of his office, “You look like you are going to piss yourself, and I’d prefer that you’d not do that in my office. Thanks.”

Ray, the little shit he is, did the opposite and launched himself at Joel’s desk. With the grace of an Olympic gymnast, he flipped himself in the air, and landed on Joel’s desk back first. From there, he wriggled around, knocking all of Joel’s shit off his desk. “Joel, just look at how well I move though. Can’t you imagine this, all of this being yours?”

Joel scooted his chair back, giving the most disapproving face on the planet to the flopping magikarp of a man on his desk.

“No.” He stated calmly before getting up and leaving the room. Much to his surprise, Ray didn’t follow him like a puppy, and actually did an adult thing and cleaned up his mess. Joel was honestly impressed for a moment until he saw the sticky note of a dick that said “Mine looks so much better.”

For at least twenty-four hours, Joel managed to have some peace form the Puerto Rican onslaught.  That is, until his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was instinctual, he just knew from the moment he felt the vibration that shit was about to go down. He swiped his fingers across the screen, unlocking it to see Ray’s name displayed ever so ‘innocently’ on the screen.

Why he even dared to hit the view button, he didn’t even know. Maybe it was something inside that found the man’s attempts amusing. Maybe that’s why the smile crept on his face initially when he read the message.

“You. Me. Date.” Joel could picture Ray making the gestures; the stupid hope painted on his face.

“No.” Was Joel’s obvious reply.

“You leave me no choice then.” Joel received a few seconds later.

Really, Joel was expecting a dick pic. Something that would “make him swoon,” but instead he felt a different kind of vibration. A kind that shook the entire building, the kind only exploding music could produce. An AIM from Geoff popped up on his computer screen.

“Look out the goddamn window. You won’t regret it.” The message read.

“No.” his fingers typed away.

“Fucking do it, asshole.”

Goddammit. Joel pulled his body out of the chair and with heavy suspicion he made his way over to the window. With every step the music grew louder.

“Fuck no.” Joel grumbled to himself as he finally peered through the glass.

Like some shitty teenage movie from the early 90’s, Ray was standing outside in the parking lot with a boombox towering over his head. Joel was surprised the scrawny shit even had the ability to pick up such a heavy archaic object. As soon as Ray saw Joel, he flashed bright white teeth in a goofy smile.  There was probably some shitty love song blasting from that thing.

Joel opened his window to get a better listen.

 _Please don't look at me with those eyes_  
Please don't hint that you're capable of lies  
I dread the thought of our very first kiss  
A target that i'm probably gonna miss  
  
Let's go,don't wait, this night's almost over  
Honest, let's make this night last forever  
Forever and ever, let's make this last forever  
Forever and ever, let's make this last forever

He was right. Absolutely shitty.

From below, he could hear the laughter of the Achievment Hunter office, along with Gus’ white board squeak of a laugh.

“Shut the hell up guys! I’m trying to court my man here!” Ray jokingly yelled at the window below.

Michael came into view within seconds, probably tumbling out the window instead of using the front door like normal human beings. Then again, no one that worked at Roosterteeth could be considered a normal human being. But Joel like’s to pretend sometimes that isn’t the case. Michael stood next to Ray and cupped his hands around his mouth.

“HEY JOEL, YOU PIECE OF SHIT, GO OUT WITH THIS GUY!”  Michael screamed¸ “THIS LOVESICK LOSER NEEDS TO GET LAID AND IT’S ALL ON YOU, BUDDY!”

Joel just violently shook his head. “No!” Joel yelled down. It was his only and final word before he shut his window and went back to work. The music stopped pounding into the building in a matter of moments. Again, this came as a surprise to Joel how quickly Ray gave up. Joel had at least expected Ray to tease his little joke a bit longer before Geoff or Jack yelled at him to get back to work.

Through silence he worked for the rest of the day. No other distractions besides the regular screaming from below his feet. The thought of Ray with his stupid smile and the boom box did linger in his head for a while though, but it was quickly dusted away with work. Soon enough, his workday came to an end.

And another workday began, but this time with a rose taped to front door of the Roosterteeth building. First thing in the morning, the sun barely above the horizon, and from the little note on the flower that had his name scribbled across it, Joel knew Ray was already up to some shit. Figuring that he’d humor Ray a little bit, he took the rose off the door, and entered the building. He was greeted by not-Kara, and something else. There was a trail of rose petals that reached up the stairs. It was like Ruby Rose had dragged a Grimm carcass up the steps. Following the Monty-inspired “blood trail” he found a pile in front of his door.

Joel sighed a sigh so heavy that his soul almost slipped out. He opened the door to (surprise, surprise,) a fidgety Ray holding a bouquet of roses. The delicate packaging that held the flowers together had obviously been manhandled from the hellish crinkles near Ray’s hands.

“Good morning!” Ray greeted as Joel walked past him, responding with the same words.

Joel sank down in his chair and gave Ray a look. A lifted eyebrow told Ray to say his piece. Ray understood and slowly reached out the bouquet.

“Will you… go.. out with me?” Ray almost grunted. He words were being spoken through grit teeth, as if he was on the edge of getting angry. He was holding back something; Joel figured it was roaring laughter.  The flowers shook in Ray’s hands, and a few petals drifted to the floor.

Joel ran his hand through his hair and rested the roaming palm on his face. The skin pulled and pushed as he moved against it. “I’m sorry. But.. No. I can’t.”

Ray hung his head for a few moments before looking back up at Joel with a smile on his face. It was the very same smile that was completely faked, and should have been accompanied by anime tears, but this wasn’t an anime, so that shit wasn’t happening. Instead, the smile was interpreted as legitimate. “Hah. That’s alright. Can I at least know why? Like, for real? No bullshit.” Ray asked, his voice wavering a little. “Hah, and my voice cracked, now I sound like Geoff!” He mocked himself quickly.

Joel shifted in his chair, his heart sinking down like an elevator with broken cord. It was falling fast and he had no idea why. The question shouldn’t have been so hard to answer. Why not? Why not indulge Ray and his joke? Was it because of the possibility that this wasn’t some elaborate joke and Ray’s feelings were on the line?

Joel couldn’t accept that. There was no way. There was probably someone with a camera somewhere ready to put this picture on twitter. Just waiting for Joel to say the right thing that would become the next community joke.

“Honestly?” Joel stalled by asking.

“Honestly.” Ray repeated.

Joel ran his hand across the back of his neck. “Because I can’t do this. I just can’t. Okay? The answer has to be no.”

Ray visibly swallowed, and Joel’s heart sunk even further. The flowers dropped to Ray’s side. “Yeah. I gotcha. A+ for effort though! I’ll clean all this shit up later, I promise. Have a good day, Joel.”  With that, Ray turned and left, leaving a darkness behind.

Joel tried to ignore the feeling just like he had been ignoring Ray for the past week.

“No.” He muttered to himself repeatedly throughout the day.  One of those times he said it, Ray happened to be in the room cleaning up his mess as promised. The lad gave Joel a funny look before chuckling and shaking his head.

With heavy legs, he returned home for the evening after work. He went through his routines, and around 10 he was getting seriously comfortable. Of course, that comfort wouldn’t last his phone started to go off. He reached over to retrieve it from his side table. It was a phone call from none other than the man of the week. Ray. Joel answered it, of course.

The line was fuzzy, with lots of background noise. Far noisier than any game Ray would be playing. There was the occasional shout to and plenty of clanking. “Heeeyyy Joely.” Ray greeted, voice at a higher pitch than Joel was used to hearing.  “I’ve got—I’ve—I’ve got some words for you.”

Oh god. From Ray’s stuttering, there was no way he was entirely sober right now. Joel pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh no.” He muttered into the receiver.

“Oh yeees. Yes Joely. Why can’t you just say yes for once? It’s always no no no no no noooooooooooo with you. Never yes.” Ray slurred into his phone. “You know, you know J-roll, that I’m mad at you.”

Joel was standing up, and sliding his coat on, grabbing his keys along the way. “Noooo. You couldn’t be.” Joel prompted.

“Yes.” Ray said, probably leaning his face into a wall, “See, I can say yes. Like you should’ve. You shouldn’t have said no, because no’s are mean, and they break my heart.  And like, I don’t know how to deal with that. I tried drinking, you know, maybe if I drank a little, or a lot, whatever, you’d like me more. Do you like me more? You should like me more.”

Joel was panicking on the inside, knowing that his younger coworker was probably smashed to all hell, and probably only staying conscious by sheer willpower.  “Drinking sounds great, I could go for a few right now. Anyone with you at the bar? I should keep you some company too.”

“Yes, haha, I said yes again. I’m like… at the bar with the yellow hat.” The one closest to Ray’s place, implying that he probably walked there, and was alone. Fucking genius, that kid.

Without a second doubt, Joel practically ran to his car and sped off to the bar, with Ray still stammering in his ear. “You’re coming? Cool! We can have like a little bar date. Finally!”

And fifteen minutes later, Joel was parking his car in the lot, scrambling out of the car in a fury he didn’t know he had. God, Joel knows all the stupid shit he’s done while drunk, and he knows that he wants to keep Ray away from all of that.  Toward the end of the drive, he had heard Ray go “Woop!” and then the line cut off. He almost angrily shoved people in the bar, trying to find his co-worker, even going to far as to ask the bartender if he had seen someone of a provided description. The bartender pointed Joel to a corner where, sure enough, Ray was slumped against.

“Oh God no.” Joel said worriedly as he pushed through the crowd to the lonely boy. “Ray?”

Ray’s eyes were unfocused, but he did twitch in response, “Joely?” A weak smile spread across his face as he reached forward and clamed onto Joel’s shirt. “Hey Joely. You made it. You made it. We can have a date now, can’t we?”

Joel shook his head, “No, not in the state you’re in. You wouldn’t even remember it if we did. C’mon buddy, let’s go.”

Ray’s hand still clamped to Joel’s shirt, Joel led him out of the bar. The slightly cooler air was a punch to Ray’s face and he stopped in his tracks. “Joel.”

Joel turned to Ray, “Hm?”

Ray’s fingers rolled in Joel’s shirt. “How… how come you can’t? How come you only say no?” Ray hiccupped and his entire body shook. “How come we can’t be a thing? I want to be a thing for real.”

“Oh.. Oh no.” Joel quietly whispered to himself as he saw Ray fall apart completely. Tears started falling down Ray’s face as the floodgates opened.

“Joel. J-roll. I like you. Like really like you, and I honestly want this. No joke.” Ray pulled himself in, smashing his face into Joel’s side. For a moment, Joel thought that Ray was giving the Rugrats a challenge for all the liquids that were coming out of his face.

Joel said nothing though, and put an arm around him, leading him back to his vehicle. Getting Ray to pry his fingers was no easy feat, but he managed to make it happen somehow. There was no way he was going to let Ray deal with the morning he was going to have alone, so he brought him back to his own apartment. Half of the ride was spent with Ray still blubbering, and the other half was spent in silence as Ray passed the fuck out. The biggest thing that surprised Joel was that Ray didn’t puke his guts out.  

He was more than likely going to do that in the morning anyway.

Joel was able to carry the 140lb man into his home, and as much as he wanted to throw him on the couch, he gave the man his bed, moved the trashcan right to the side, laid out some pills and a few glasses of water, hoping that if Ray ever woke up again, he’d see the ensemble and put it to use.

Joel woke up on his side of the bed to the sound of wretching in his bathroom. Sluggishly he looked around to see that the water had been drunk, but the pills were not taken. Probably because they wouldn’t stay down if he had. Smart Lad. Sliding his feet, Joel made it to his bathroom to see his co-worker curled around the porcelain throne.

“Joel?” Ray said weakly after he finished up his current wretch. “H-how did I--?” He trailed off as the realization that he had been drinking dawned upon him. “Goddamn. Everything hurts.”

“I bet.” Joel chuckled quietly as he entered the room. Ray was about to shout at Joel to get out, but the exertion went straight to puking. Joel coaxed him through it, rubbing soft circles in his back as he expelled his insides.

“Did I say anything?” Ray eventually said at one point.

“Nope.” Joel answered, “But hey, if you want to go on a date when you feel better, I think I can say yes now. You know. Food and all that shit?”

“Oh god, don’t even say food right n—“

Joel laughed as Ray blew chunks again. “I mean it too; it’s not just some sick joke. No pun intended.”

\--

“No.

“Oh come on, you know you want to try it again.”

“No.”

“Just a little?”

“No.”

“Raaaay.”

“Joel, I’m never touching that shit again, but _you_ on the other hand…”

“That’ll work.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”


End file.
